Wardrobe-trunk.



W. V, SCHNURu WARDROBE TRUNK.

APPucAImN man Auem. 1914.

Nwa 30, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

3 MTS-:S HLET 2.

4/5 /a v A Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

ATTO/UVE Y;

I WARDROBE TRUNK.v APPLICATION FILED AuG.3I. Ism.

Patented Nov. 30,1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WJTNESSES A-W/j/ WM nivrrnn s'rafrnsrsrnnr orrron.

WILLIAM V. SCHNUR, OF GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, .ASSIGNOR TO P. BECKER COMPANY, OF

- CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

WARDRoBn-TRUNK.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patentd NOV. 3), 1915.

Application filed August 31, 1914. Serial No. 859,455.

To all whom t may concern. y

lBe it known that I, -WILLIAM V. SCHNUR, a citizen of the United States,I residing at Glencoe, in the county of` Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use-- ful Improvements in VVardrObe-Trunks, of which the lfollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to wardrobe trunks and has for a primary object to provide for supporting the `clothes hangers on which the garments contained in the trunk are hung, a strong, rigid and durable structure which may be extended out' beyond the wardrobe section of the trunk lwhen Vthe latter is opened, to facilitate access to theclothing supported thereon.

A further object is to so construct such. supporting structure that when collapsed within the wardrobe section it will act as a brace or reinforcement of the same. Y

A further obJect 1s to A,provide a supportmgI structure of this character which will beinexpensive to manufacture and may be conveniently and cheaply put in place in the trunk. f

In the' drawings Figure 1 is side elevation of a .wardrobe trunk furnished with a vgarment-supporting structure embodying my invention, the trunk being closed anda part lof the wardrobe section shown as broken away to expose the interior thereof. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the trunk with the .sections in their open position. Fig. 5l is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the upper section of the trunk shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4: is a horizontal section thereof showing the supporting structure in partially A extended position. Fig. -5 is a fragmentary view in perspective of the supporting structure.

-Like characters of reference designate like parts in the several figures of the drawlnfrs.

i indicates a garment hanger of any desired type, suitable for use in Wardrobe trunks and provided at its ends with rail yokes 10. YVithin the body of the trunk the hangers are supported by a pair of channelA rails 11 and 12, upon the upper side of which the rail yokes 10 bear.

A pair of horizontal guides 13 and 14 are secured to Aopposite sides of the Wardrobe section B of the trunk. These guides arel preferably composed of channelshaped;

metal strips having inturned flanges 15 adapted to retain slides 16 and 17. The

channel rails 11 and 12 are secured to the slides 1G and 17 respectively, by means of shouldered rivets 18 which, while rigidly connecting the rails and slides, serve likewise to maintain them in suitable spaced relation. The guide/S13 and 11 are vtired to porting the guides, form stopsA which, by,

Contact with the rivets 18, limit the travel of the slides 1G within the guides 13 and 14.

By means of this construction, as shown in Figs. t and 5, the rails 11 and 12 maybe eX- '.tended forwardly of the forward edge of the wardrobe section. The channel rails 11 and 12 have their open sides facing out- ,y

wardly toward the sides of the trunk and their upper and lower flangesat their for,- ward ends are extended beyond the end of the main web of the rail in each instance to forml lugs 2O (see Figs. 1 and 5). Hinged by means of vertical pivots 21, borne by the lugs 20, to the rails 11 and 12respectively, are two channel-shaped rail extensions/or arms 22 and 23, the outer extremities of,

which meet and are secured together by means to be describedg--whenfolded over; the two arms forming in such case a rigid brace between the rails 11, 12. Preferably the rear ends of the rails .11, 12, are joined by a brace 24, which has 'its' ends bent forward and riveted tothe main Webs of the channels 11 and 12.

An important feature ofthe present in vention is the structure ofthe hinges, by which the rails` 11 and 12 are connected respectively Withthe `arms 22 and 23. A. solid block of metal 25 fittingclosely' Within the channel of each arm, is riveted to the arm at 26 and extends between and .beyond the lugs 20, as 'shown at 27. The-,vertical pivots 21 pass through the blocks 25 and the forward ends of the lugs-20, which, are rounded at their inner corners to permit pivotal movement of the arms with respect vto the rails.

The extensions 27 of blocks ,25 are formed to fit snugly within the channels of the rails 11 and 12 and against the central Webs thereof so'that, in the open or extended position of the arms, as shown in Fig. 5, each arm is cal keeper 29 and in each arm and slightly spaced from the keeper 29 is a second keeper 30.- Preferably the upper ends of the keepers 29 are extended upwardly beyond the upper fianges oi the arms, as at 3l, to

provide. stops for preventing the garmenthangers from sliding ori' the ends of the rails.' One of the armsA` the arm 'for example, carries a bolt :ic-.apted to fit snugly in the channel 1corined by the arms and between tlie-keepers m--30 and the central webs of the arms. ,A handle is formed upon the inner end oi t :e ooit and a stop 3 is provided within tl nannel of the bolt carrying arm. tioned such a distance. from the hee-.per 30 as to prevent the dislodginent ot the holt from the arirL by which it is carried. By these arrangements the arms or rail extensions 22 and 23, 'when folded over and locked, together with the other parts of the garment supporting means, form a rigid bracing structure which reinforces the wardrobe section of the trunk.

It willf'be noted that( in the closed andy bolted position of the arms, arigid rectangular frame `is formed, which is slidable 'from its innermost position within the wardrobe section of the trunk to a position of extensionvbeyond they forward edge thereof. The rigidity of the frame thus formed, which, of course, may support garments of considerable weight in the aggregate, facilitates pulling out the frame. By slidably mounting the rails lil-12, the whole body of clothing may be moved away from thcback wall of the trunk when set up as a wardrobe. This is conveniently done by pulling 'forward on the locked extensions 22, When a pai'- ticular garment is wanted the extensions may lojeainlockedandj folded out and the hangers in the' frontwof the trunk pulled out on the extensions until the desired garment is accessible.

l'lcrctofore it has been customaryto hinge tho upper `ond of thev wardrobe section in trunks ot this type to the body portion of such section, in order toprovide inoreieady access to the clothing in the back of the trunk. This construction greatly weakens the upper end'ot the trunk. By use of the slmporting structure of my invention the necessity forhinging the end of the war:- robe lsection sothat it may be folded back is entirely obviated i Tn the accompanying drawings and in the oregoing description, is set forth the preferred embodiment of my invention, but it is obvious that one skilled in the artl maj/ make The stop is is posiy modiications thereof without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

l. In a wardrobe trunk a garment supporting structure comprising a pair of rail sections slidably mounted in the trunk so as to move iii the direction of their length and a pair of extensible rail sections hinged to the extremities of said slidable sections at points which are fixed with respect to said slidable sections; the upper surfaces ot' said hinged se ltions being in the same plane with the uppe surfaces of said slidahle sections so as to i' rovide a pair of continuous bearing surfaces spaced apart for slidably vsupporting the pposite ends of garment hangers.

1n a. wardrobe trunk, a garment-supporting structure comprising a pair ot' channel-shaped slidable rail sections, and a pair 0f extension mi! sections carried respectively upon the forward ends of said slidable rail sections by means including a pair of lugs iorinedupon the forward end of each slidable rail section, a block carried upon the adjacent end of each extension rail section, extending between and beyond said lugs, and which tits closely within the channel of the slid-able rail section when the sections are in alinement, and a pivot traversing the block and secured at its ends in the lugs.

3. In a wardrobe trunk, a garment-supporting structure comprising a pair of rail sections and means for slidably mounting said sections within the trunk, comprising a pair of channel shaped guides, an independent slide mounted within each guide, and

-ing said extension rail sections together when m almement, comprising a pair oiv keepers traversing thechannel ot-each extension rail section adjacent the free end thereof, said keepers being spaced from each other and from the main web of the urail section, and a bolt carried by one section, slidable into engagement with the other section, and fitting' between tlre side flanges of each section and between the keepers and` the main web of each section.

5. ln a wardrobe trunk, a garment-supporting structure comprising' a pair of longitudinally slidable rail Sections, a pair of extension; rail sections respectively hinged upon the forward ends'of the slidable sec.

tion with their upper surfaces in the same plane with the upper surfaces of the slidable railsections and foldable-into alinement with each other,means for locking said extension sections together when in alinement, and a brace connecting the rearward ends of said slidable rail sections.

6. In a wardrobe trunk, a garment-sup porting structure comprising a pair of channel guides, a pair of brackets for eachguide positioned adjacent opposite ends thereof and supporting the guides within the trunk, a slide mounted within each channel guide, a 'pair of channel slia'ped slidable raily sections each being rigidly secured in spaced relation to one of said slides, a pair of channel shaped extension rail sectionsy carried respectively on the forward ends of said slidable'rail sectionsoy means including a pair of lugs formed upon the forward end of each slida'blc rail section, a block secured to the adjacentend of each exten` sion rail section and extending-therefrom between and beyond said' lugs and fittingr 'the channel of the slidable rail section, and

a pivot traversing the block' and. secured at' its ends in the lugs; said extension rail sections being l-'oldablcA into alinement; means for locking said extension section together when in alinement comprising a pair of keepers spaced from each other and from the main web of the extension section trav# ersing the channel thereof near the free end of the section, and a bolt carried by one of said sections and fittingthe space formed between the side flanges of thesections and protruding Afrom the side flanges of one channel, a block fitting both channels secured to one and extending between and be:I

vond said lugs, and a pivot mounted in the lugs and traversing the block.

9. in a -.wardrobe trunk, a. garment supporting structure comprising a pair of channel rail sections, and means 'for hingxng one section to the other and-limiting the hinging movement to approximately a quarter of a circle, comprisinga block ixedly positioned ouarter' of acircle, comprising a Within the channel of one of said sections and adapted to fit snugly within the channel of the other-section when said sections are in alinement.

10. In a Wardrobe trunk, a garment supporting structure comprising a pair of channel rail sections positioned with their main webs in vertical planes, and means `for hinging one section to the other andv limiting its hingmg movement to approximately a ixedly positioned within'the channel of one of said sections, and a pintle vertically positioned in the other section end traversing the block, said block being adapted to extend within and lit snugly into ther-channel of the pintle carrying section when said sections are in alinement.

11. In a wardrobe trunk, agarmentsupblock porting structure comprising guides on the side of the trunk, slides mounted .to move therein, rail sections fixed to said slides so as to be movable longitudinally in and vout of the trunk, Aextension rail sections hinged to the endsI of the rstnamed rail'seotions respectively, so as to stand in alinement .therewith when extended, and means for fastening the ends osaid extension sections together when folded'.

12. In a wardrobe trunk, a lgarment supporting structure comprising channel guides xed to the sides of the trunk with their i open sides'facing inwardly, slides in said guides, rail sections fixed to said slides, 5and extension rail sections hinged tothe ends of the first'named rail sections with their upper surfaces inthe same planes with the f upper surfaces of said first .named rail sections, and means for fastening the ends of said extension sections together when folded.

13. In a wardrobe trunk agarinent sup- .porting structure comprising a pair oi.l rai-l sections slidably mounted in the trunk so as to move in the direction oli their. length, and a pair of'extensible rail'sections hinged to Said slidable motions; the upper'surfaces of saidhinged sections being in the same plane with the upper surfaces of said slidable sections so as to provide a pair of continuous bearing surfaces spaced aparttor slidably supporting the opposite ends of garment hangers.

` WILLIAM v. sci-mun.

4Witnesses:

L. A. Famer.Nenne,` 'Gn {Simiann4 

